Causes

Multimedia

Cirrhosis is caused by scar tissue that forms in your liver in response to damage occurring over many years. Each time your liver is injured, it tries to repair itself. In the process, scar tissue forms. As the scar tissue builds up, liver function worsens. In advanced cirrhosis, the liver no longer works very well.

It's important to determine the cause of cirrhosis because treating that underlying cause can help prevent further liver damage. A wide range of diseases and conditions can damage the liver and lead to cirrhosis.

Some of the causes of cirrhosis are inherited or thought to be inherited:

Hardening and scarring of the bile ducts (primary sclerosing cholangitis)

Infection by a parasite common in developing countries (schistosomiasis)

Some people may have more than one cause for cirrhosis, such as alcohol abuse and viral hepatitis. If doctors cannot find a cause for your condition, it's called cryptogenic cirrhosis. Up to 20 percent of people with cirrhosis have cryptogenic cirrhosis.

Legal Conditions and Terms

Reprint Permissions

A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. "Mayo," "Mayo Clinic," "MayoClinic.org," "Mayo Clinic Healthy Living," and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.